Disney's Zootopia (March 2016)

[Nepenthe]

In regards to your second point--

Spoiler

Mayor Lionheart had to separate himself from Belwether as much as possible. He'd already been arrested for illegally jailing the affected predators and would have easily been found even more culpable by a jury had he assumed any responsibility for the way she turned out. If it didn't pile on charges and jail his ass forever, it would have tainted him as the self-serving, uncaring jerk he really is and completely ruin his electability. And that's the real Lionheart- a selfish, uncaring politician- meaning he doesn't regret how he treated Belwether anyway, so why apologize for that? He can always get a new "Assistant Mayor."

 

[DarkLight]

For someone who claims to love this movie, I really seem to oversimplify what it was trying to convey to me.

Or at the very least, misinterpret or sees for things that aren't there.

[Nepenthe]

This is a pretty deep movie as far as Disney goes, and every character has layers and subtext that can be interpreted in multiple contexts. xD I've seen arguments pervading that it's actually not about race at all (although I don't really believe that one due to the specifics of certain lines and behaviors), but instead is primarily about subverting preconceived notions about yourself and not giving up, and that's really the beauty of it. 

[DarkLight]

So after watching the movie again, I will happily retract my previous statement regarding the villain for a more solid opinion.

 

Spoiler

Bellwether seemed more of a dark antithesis to Judy. What Judy could be if she didn't have her greatest asset: Optimism. Both were prey animals that wanted to be bigger than what their class expect them to be. However, unlike Judy, whose tenacity is what eventually got her dream job and maintaining that positivity despite the adversity within the police force, Bellwether instead opted to using fear as a means to make herself land an authoritative position. Rightfully upset about being under-appreciated by her superior? Oh, definitely. But so was Judy. But like I said, it was her constantly trying to be better that helped her in the long run while overcoming the personal biases she kept convincing herself she didn't have. Bellwether basically felt she had to knock down (and manipulate) others to make it to the top for someone of her social class with no lessons learned other than her own words and philosophy, "Fear always works." She just let her frustration and personal bias get the better of her and resorted to the cheap, extremist route on what could've been a genuine, noble cause for people like her had she not been so underhanded about it.

And upon re-watching the movie I noted a few more details than I did first viewing:

-While not as significant to note like the others listed below, I thought was funny. There was some grandpa bunny among-st the crowd when Judy was leaving for city. Everyone, whom I presume was her entire family (has 275 sibling after all), was waving her goodbye except this old guy. Bastard.

-I thought the savanna district didn't get as much prominence as Tundra Town or the rain forest district. But in actuality it was only the first place they visited to get information at the naturalist club.

-Again, not really plot-important, but when they arrived at the DMV, the line was full. But after the plate number info was printed out, you'd notice there's no line anymore. Which would've indicated it was already nighttime before they got out.

-When the missing predators got darted, their pupils would go from round to slit indicating their savagery, but when Nick "supposedly" got darted, his eyes didn't, they remained round and just acted the part. Keeping his pupils round should've been a clear giveaway they both were pulling Bellwether's leg and they switched the serum for blueberries sometime while off-camera.

    Still adore this movie. Where's my Judy and Nick plushies already?

[Wraith]

Finally got around to watching this yesterday and holy shit.

I had heard a lot of good things about this but I was still blindsided by how good it was. I swear, like every other line of dialogue struck a chord with me because it was so relatable. Almost all of it is stuff you've heard before. It's so simple yet it's so flexible that I feel like anyone watching it could have found someone they could have gotten behind. Didn't expect a modern Disney film of all things to hit me this hard, but this one did. It's fucking brilliant.

I've seen people complain that the movie was too heavy handed and it should have lightened up or whatever. I'm glad they didn't pull any punches with this. This stuff needed to be hammered home. Way more important of a massage than the last 5 or 6 movies they put out. 

Just reading through this thread makes me feel like I missed a lot of stuff. (I initially had the complaint that the villain was kind of shallow but just reading through the topic showed that that wasn't really the case.) I already feel like I need to see it again.

[Nepenthe]

Yeah, the "this is so heavy-handed" complaint kind of annoys me because it almost always seems to come from people who either aren't affected or don't notice that a lot of this stuff happens on the daily. Almost every transgression in the film is either something that has happened to me or directly to someone I know, and in a way it reflects minorities' realities quite appropriately, particularly in this time of high political polarization. Nostalgia Critic particularly pissed me off. "I know racism is bad so why does this movie have to be about racism?" With a shitty attitude like that, I imagine he would be the last person to even think about examining internalized biases, or even assume he has any simply because he puts too much stock in conscious thought. He's a Judy without the ability to self-reflect.

[Tori Himemiya]

I saw Zootopia yesterday and it was great. Its up there with Up with films that actually made me cry.

It has very imaginative imagery I gotta say, having different ways to accommodate different species of animals. And this might seem weird but the characters feel like actual people than you'd think. They all react like the way anyone would do without it being exaggerated like other examples in film. And I do love the messages they present in the movie without it being in your face. I do relate to these characters because again they feel so real.

Nick's backstory was pretty fucking sad that I pretty much broke down during it. It was a very harsh thing to do to a child and it shows how children can be cruel. While I never had anything near that tragic happen to me, I did had a bully and I know how much it does affect you mentally. When Gideon reappears I was pleasantly surprised that he apologized to Judy for being a bully and I honestly hope people realize their mistakes and try to fix them. The villain was another surprise villain though I didn't really expect this one at all. I honestly thought that the Mayor was the bad guy because of his attitude to his job but suddenly in a plot twist it was the person helping Judy along.

I did knew there was gonna be a betrayal plot between Judy and Nick but it didn't play out like I'd expect. I was expecting for the fox repellent to be the thing that sets Nick off but it wasn't and Nick noticed it since day 1 which was a surprise. But he did had legitimate reason for walking out on Judy however due to being a predator being stereotyped at the time. But this also felt more thought out than how this kind of plot does because of this. There's a lot of interesting ways this movie goes with its plot and it feels so fresh to see.

So needless to say its one of the best movies I've seen. Its one of those movies where I can't help but root for Judy and Nick to succeed. It has a lot of twists and turns and it was an emotional roller coaster that ends with a pretty high note. I might see it again sometime soon.

[Wraith]

 I feel like the only reason the movie is even called "heavy handed" is because it's so accurate. It clicks with people and they just don't know how to react. (I remember my mouth dropping open near the beginning when Judy called Nick an "Articulate fella".)T he only reason it affects peopleso much was because it was showing the world as it is and nothing more. It just kind of makes people feel uncomfortable about this world they've had a part in shaping, since we've all been guilty of stereotyping someone when we shouldn't have, I think. It's also shocking that something this real came out of family friendly, safe, fluffy modern Disney. The same people that put out Frozen and Big Hero 6. It just catches you off guard in the best way.

...Or maybe I've just been thinking about this movie too much, I dunno. 

[Nepenthe]

Haha, me and my friend looked at each other with our mouths open when Judy let "articulate" fly, and then cracked up when Nick sarcastically called her on it. 

Granted, I feel it's weird that this film would make people antsy. As I keep saying, every single character has an obvious bias of some sort, and these biases and which groups they may relate to in real life aren't directly 1:1 with the species they belong to, meaning no species is perfectly analogous to the struggles or privileges of any real group; Nick makes a case against Judy that is pertinent to African Americans' experiences with racism, particularly eugenics, but on the other hand he touches Belwether's hair. This makes it impossible to point out within the film's run time who is in what you could pinpoint as a majority ruling class; there's no species on display that fits the "white straight cis male" group to a T, so this actually has the effect of diffusing blame and responsibility for society's state far more than in the real world where the oppression and power dynamics of specific countries can actually be more attributed to certain, more monolithic groups than others.

The only way I could see Zootopia making a person seriously uncomfortable or annoyed or whatever is if they just don't want to confront bigotry in any of its forms at all.

[nintega137]

8 hours ago, Nepenthe said:

 

The only way I could see Zootopia making a person seriously uncomfortable or annoyed or whatever is if they just don't want to confront bigotry in any of its forms at all.

Well apparently there's enough of these people in the world, because any review I see of this film while positive, usually has many negative comments underneath them.

Particularly that apparently "every movie these days talks about racism, we get it, it's tiresome". Or just the fact that it's a disney movie talking about them or that it's an animated movie and "it's for kids" (which even if I did agree with that mindset is still not an excuse to just ignore the issue because it affects them too.).

I've heard rumor of some SJFW meme somewhere. The f standing for furry of course. I haven't actually seen it anywhere, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was true. 

I haven't seen the movie yet, but that still bugs me, like people keep trying to come up with reasons as to why it isn't allowed to talk about it.

Honestly I get the feeling people just don't want to hear it. 

[SenEDDtor Missile]

12 minutes ago, nintega137 said:

Well apparently there's enough of these people in the world, because any review I see of this film while positive, usually has many negative comments underneath them.

Particularly that apparently "every movie these days talks about racism, we get it, it's tiresome". Or just the fact that it's a disney movie talking about them or that it's an animated movie and "it's for kids" (which even if I did agree with that mindset is still not an excuse to just ignore the issue because it affects them too.).

I've heard rumor of some SJFW meme somewhere. The f standing for furry of course. I haven't actually seen it anywhere, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was true. 

I haven't seen the movie yet, but that still bugs me, like people keep trying to come up with reasons as to why it isn't allowed to talk about it.

Honestly I get the feeling people just don't want to hear it. 

 

Not surprising. Every person wants to believe they are not prejudiced or capable of evils such as racism, sexism, ableism, etc., so to be confronted with the fact that they are more prejudiced than they are willing to admit and that they tend to use that prejudice to justify themselves while hypocritically claiming to be different is a rather blunt punch to the gut.

[DarkLight]

54 minutes ago, Nepenthe said:

Haha, me and my friend looked at each other with our mouths open when Judy let "articulate" fly, and then cracked up when Nick sarcastically called her on it. 

Granted, I feel it's weird that this film would make people antsy. As I keep saying, every single character has an obvious bias of some sort, and these biases and which groups they may relate to in real life aren't directly 1:1 with the species they belong to, meaning no species is perfectly analogous to the struggles or privileges of any real group; Nick makes a case against Judy that is pertinent to African Americans' experiences with racism, particularly eugenics, but on the other hand he touches Belwether's hair. This makes it impossible to point out within the film's run time who is in what you could pinpoint as a majority ruling class; there's no species on display that fits the "white straight cis male" group to a T, so this actually has the effect of diffusing blame and responsibility for society's state far more than in the real world where the oppression and power dynamics of specific countries can actually be more attributed to certain, more monolithic groups than others.

The only way I could see Zootopia making a person seriously uncomfortable or annoyed or whatever is if they just don't want to confront bigotry in any of its forms at all.

Adding to the 'touching Belwether's hair' bit, as soon as she left the scene, he remarks to Judy with "Do you think when she goes to sleep she counts herself?" Like shit, you knew he wouldn't have said that when she was within earshot.

[J&/MA/MC]

Looks like Disney took a page from Aaron Webber here. Risque!

[DaBatGuy]

Damn Disney, stop making me love this movie more than I already do.

[Phos]

YO WHERE MAH CUTIES AT!?

Spoiler

 

One thing bugged me: Really wish Judy had had an actual flashlight instead of using her phone.  

The way we find out that Mayor Lionheart was responsible for the jailing reminded me of how Raiden found out about Senator Armstrong's involvement in that game's plot.  That would have been a very different movie.  

 

[Kevin]

I finally got the chance to see this movie and boy oh boy, I know I've heard great things about it, but did this blow my expectations out the water! The writing is very clever with a lot of parallels to real life. You truly get a feel for the characters and what they go through. This definitely goes up there as one of my favorite Disney films!

[Moppsy]

Saw the movie this week and overall had a pleasant time.  I'm not really a movie buff and the only times I've ever gone to movies was if I was either dragged there or if it was to spend time with friends and family.  So this being the first movie I just took the time to see by myself was a pretty cool experience.

While the moral was nice, what really made me love this movie was the characters themselves and the degree of depth some of them had like Chief Bogo and Bellweather.  The dynamic between Judy and Nick was cool as their interactions didn't fall into some very predictable tropes you usually find with Boy-Girl duos.  I appreciated that it didn't really talk down to the audience.  Good movie.

[Mania Pipe]

I Just saw the movie last night, and it was a blast from beginning to end! I really enjoyed the characters, the moral of the story, and how it all came wrap up together nicely, oh also the ending segment was really fun too. Judy is one of my favorite protagonists, and the dynamic between her and Nick is so good and I'm glad that it didn't go through that predictable phase that buddy-duo movies usually go through. So yeah, really enjoyed this one and I think I'm gonna add this to one of my favorite movies and can't wait to get it on DVD.

[Gabz Girl]

Zootopia (or Zootropolis as it's known here) is FINALLY in cinemas this Friday but I can't go and see it until next Tuesday..! >< I've done a good job avoiding spoilers so far though...except I know who the villain is. *sigh*

Anyway, the overwhelmingly positive response to this film makes me super excited to go and see it, more so than previous Disney films. It's amazing how successful it is at the box office too; $600 million worldwide! Poor Kung Fu Panda 3, it's like the complete opposite of a decade ago where DreamWorks made hit after hit and Disney was going through a second Dark Age. Time for them to seriously step up their game, especially with...Trolls on the horizon. >__>

 

[pppp]

1 hour ago, Gabz Girl said:

Zootopia (or Zootropolis as it's known here) is FINALLY in cinemas this Friday but I can't go and see it until next Tuesday..! >< I've done a good job avoiding spoilers so far though...except I know who the villain is. *sigh*

Anyway, the overwhelmingly positive response to this film makes me super excited to go and see it, more so than previous Disney films. It's amazing how successful it is at the box office too; $600 million worldwide! Poor Kung Fu Panda 3, it's like the complete opposite of a decade ago where DreamWorks made hit after hit and Disney was going through a second Dark Age. Time for them to seriously step up their game, especially with...Trolls on the horizon. >__>

 

Not that KFP3 is bad, it's good, it's just that I might as well watch the better version of it: KFP2.

[Echidna Adventurer CC14]

Saw the movie on Sunday. Fantastic little film with a fun world, likable characters, and a powerful message. One thing I especially liked about it is that they didn't just make any other buddy cop movie and slap an animal skin on it with little to no alterations aside from a species-based gag or two like they very easily could have. They fully took advantage of the fact that this is an animal world and that was really refreshing.

Also adored the crap out of the brief Disney references on the DVDs towards the end of the film. (Especially the Wreck-It Ralph one. Even though his movie had the unfortunate luck of getting wedged between Tangled and Frozen release-wise, old ham hands is far from forgotten. ^_^)

Saw Bellwether being the villain a mile away when she started helping Judy out so much, though. XD

[TCB]

Ok so yeah in short: Terrific film with a great message that's oh-so relevant in today's society hidden flawlessly under the guise of a comedic/mystery/adventure stew of a good time. The world and characters played off each other greatly, and the little hints and foreshadowing were done in such a way if you're looking to go for a second viewing it's definitely beneficial, ala with Wreck it Ralph. 

 

[pppp]

Zootopia is officially one of the highest grossing Disney animated movies ever:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2016/03/27/weekend-box-office-divergent-plummets-zootopia-closing-in-on-700m-deadpool-near-350m-u-s/#4e952d173b33

[Johnny Boy]

Wow, this is awesome news! Now let's all hope that people won't turn their back on it because of its popularity.

[AdventChild]

Wouldn't be surprised like with Frozen and its success that this would have a planned sequel/prequel to go along with it announced after a few months because how big of a hit it is.

Though if it were to happen where do you think they'll take it? Maybe introduce where reptilian and amphibian (and maybe avian) species thrive? Maybe they still adhere to the Predator vs Prey nature and are depicted as more uncivilized and tribal than the modern Zootopia society? Or will it go some other route such as a villain creating animal mutant experimentation to make super soldiers/beings (and make jabs at TMNT and its ripoffs)?

However, I think maybe a Zootopia animated spinoff TV show could work as well too. Especially with Gravity Falls being finished and Wander Over Yander recently cancelled they only have SvTFoE along with the usual Star Wars and Marvel show spinoffs/tie-ins as their legs to stand on Disney XD at the moment.